


It's Hard to Help a Friend While Homeless

by 1PB2PB3PB4



Series: Because screw Grundy- or rather, don't [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Gen, Grundy was a right real piece of work, Homelessness, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, POV Third Person, and Juggie knows that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-12-27 16:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12085050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1PB2PB3PB4/pseuds/1PB2PB3PB4
Summary: Jughead has... Feelings about not noticing something was up with Archie, but also not.Jughead's POV of "You Got Hot and Want to Be Not", as well as a look into how Jughead felt about the whole affair and hos homelessness





	It's Hard to Help a Friend While Homeless

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Riverdale, sorry for any mistakes  
> So there is some language, it seemed to fit but sorry if that offends you. Also Grundy, she deserves a mention for being a statutory rapist.  
> Hope you enjoy

Jughead has feelings about not noticing how badly Archie was coping, and that something was up with him. Or at least not confronting his friend about it. But while he does feel guilty, equally he had his own issues, and Archie had done a very good job of cutting him out while it was all happening. Still, he knows he could have, should have, done more, paid more attention, actually realised his friend was tipping down into the deep end. Which was why he decided to call it quits and just tell Fred Andrews that his son wasn't doing so well when he noticed Archie's hands swollen and various shades of reds and purples and blues and blacks with a little bit of yellowing too, again, again. The not eating was a little bit of a giveaway too, and he mentally berates himself for missing it. But in all fairness he had dismissed it in his mind as someone who always had access to food at home not wanting to, not needing to, down food whenever it was available or on offer. Like he said, Jughead had his own issues.

 

Anyway, he rages sometimes, why is it always up to him to look out for Archie? Why couldn't Archie himself tell that something was wrong with Jughead? Archie clearly didn't hold much regard for him, cutting out on their long planned road trip with barely an excuse. Some of the anger abates when he remembers why Archie cut out on him. But then it returns because why was a fucking cougar paedo more important than him? Couldn’t his friend tell that she was using him? Did it not twig in Archie’s little ginger head that maybe he shouldn’t be having sex with a teacher? He feels angry and disgusted and a little bit sick with himself after thinking this though- because it’s not Archie’s fault, it’s not his friend’s fault that he is so damn innocent and trusting and that some bitch saw that and decided to use him.

 

So while he knows that Archie was dealing with the fall out of statutory rape, and before that, serious manipulation. Jughead wants to swear and find Jennifer Gibson and do something, something to make her pay, even more, when he finds out that she was responsible for “encouraging” Archie to avoid him, he still feels hurt and a little angry that Archie couldn’t tell not all was okay with his “best friend”. Scratch not all, fuck all was okay with him, and it’s still not.

 

Did Archie not think to question the seeming sudden absence of Jellybean and his mother? And yeah, he thinks he does a pretty good job of hiding his circumstances, he doesn’t want any teachers finding out, but still he thinks, Archie is his best friend- shouldn’t he be able to see past this stuff? Jughead is fucking homeless, forced out by his father- more or less, FP may have not actually kicked him out, but he certainly didn’t try to make Jughead stay, or cut out drinking, or make the trailer in anyway resemble a safe home. But his, seemingly less everyday, faithful redheaded friend did not notice, didn’t even care. When he first left it was okay. He had the Twilight, but once the drive in closed down he started to really panic, it’s still stressful living at the school scared he’ll be discovered any minute. He couldn’t turn to his friends for help because their relationship still wasn’t really right yet. He also didn’t want to lump this on Fred Andrews, the best parent seemingly in this town, who was just finding out that his son had been abused. Fred didn’t need to deal with Jughead’s own drama too. The fact that he could barely look Fred in the eye without feeling sick and guilty about not telling him about what was happening to Archie played no insignificant part too.

 

He hadn’t wanted to admit to either of the Andrews how his life had fallen apart when FP had fallen off the wagon. He didn’t want to confront Fred with the fact that his best friend was a shit father.

 

So he’s dealing with his homelessness by himself. He eats as much as he possibly can at school (those meal tickets are still valid), and tries to never turn down an offer of free food (except for that night outside Archie’s house, he couldn’t, not after Archie threatened him, Juggie, and having to lie to Fred’s face). He feels a little guilty for abusing Archie’s guilt to make him buy him burgers, but he needs the food and Archie does have stuff to make up for. He showers at school too, and uses his savings from his job to go to the local launderette. He buys a bit of food but… it’s cheaper to buy in bulk yet he doesn’t have anywhere to store it. He tries desperately to make it seem like he’s got his life together when really it’s already fallen apart.

 

He feels abandoned by everyone, all his friends. Particuarly over that summer when he had first "moved out". Archie abandoning him was just the final nail in the coffin. Trying to not slip through the cracks of sociecety, while also avoiding notice is difficult. Sometimes he wonders if anyone would miss him if he died, or left without a word. And it's a real possibilty- it doesn't look good for homeless teens, he thinks. They barely talk to him at school. At least Archie has stopped ignoring him now. He thinks Archie would care, a bit, for a bit. He doesn't want to be homeless, doesn't want to worry about all this stuff. But he has to, and he doesn't know if he can deal with it.

 

You see? He doesn’t have the time to check Archie’s okay. You get why he doesn’t notice? You do right? He’s justified. He is. He tells himself this to reassure himself. It works. Not really.

 

Jughead is living in a fortress of regrets, and broken promises, and disappointments, and wishes to throw himself at the Andrews’ mercies, and he’s doing his best to fortify the reinforcements so that no one can get in to help him. The calm acceptance of his father to the fact that his fifteen year old son is homeless stings, and surely if his own father doesn’t care no one will? Maybe Archie does know, did know? But just doesn’t give a shit. He abandoned their road trip, was that his friend showing that he doesn’t care? He reminds himself no. That was cougar bitch influenced Archie, regular Archie wouldn’t have done that, and Archie does care he has to, or Jughead won’t have anyone left.

 

He can feel the judgement from Betty for not telling a “responsible adult” about what was happening to Archie, and anger for keeping things from her in their investigation. The only “responsible adult” he knows is Fred Andrews, and while he knew that Fred needed to know, that Jughead should have told him, he also isn’t sure if he could have broken Fred like that. And he was avoiding Fred, he’s scared Fred will see right through him, see what he’s become and how FP has fallen. But he’s explained all this. It matters because he can’t go to Betty for help. She’s angry at him, and he’s not convinced that she wouldn’t judge or pity him for being homeless. He doesn’t want that. They’re also not that great friends anyway. They’re close but they’ve pretty much always interacted with Archie as a buffer, alone, he wouldn’t know what to do, feel too awkward.

 

But he feels Betty is a little unfair. He could have done significantly more to conceal the truth. He let Betty find out, and he put up little resistance to Veronica and Kevin going to eavesdrop on Betty’s confrontation so that it would be harder for Archie to shrug out of it. He feels like that may have been unfair in hindsight, maybe not the best move, but he knows it had to stop, and getting people involved, while not breaking his promise to Archie seemed like the best move. Particularly after their tentative truce for Archie to buy him burgers at Pop's.

So having got that off his chest at last, feeling as if some kind of insurmountable weight has been lifted, he turned his attention away from Archie. It really did not help that his new wave of homelessness hits at just the same time Archie seemed he would be okay. How was he to know Archie really wasn't dealing with the fall out? But he sorts out his life, he has a thing going with sleeping at the school, it's really not good, and he desperately wants someone, Archie, to notice but he is too proud to ask for help.

Archie's slow descent downwards is a slow one, and Jughead's own home life issues don't help any. When you're trying to keep yourself from starving, and having to carefully monitor every penny you don't think much about your friend not eating out. He assumes Archie doesn't eat at Pop's because he eats enough at home, or that he doesn't want to waste money on himself. Jughead has to try and get work, on top of helping Betty investigate the murder, he doesn't always have time to meet up with Archie outside of their weekly meetings at Pop's. It also doesn't twig to him, because he is busy himself, that Archie is distancing himself. Jughead assumes it is just all the new responsibilities Archie has given himself, and possibly needing a little bit of room to deal with being confronted with the truth that the bitch who he thought loved him was really just using and manipulating him.

 

He knows Archie boxes on occasion. He gets enough shit from the kids at school that he studiously avoids looking anywhere near another person when changing for gym, also common decency. He and Archie aren't so in sync they always go to the bathroom together. But still... he thinks something is up. While he doesn't see Archie's knuckles, his busted knuckles, often, every time he sees them they are bruised. Archie covers them with fingerless gloves at school, claiming he's cold, or he did the one time Jughead asked him at lunch before leaving to go to football practice. Jughead thought football was one Tuesdays, but he detests the rest of the team so he's not exactly going to ask them.

Archie stops sitting with them at lunch, going straight to practice or doing homework.

So Jughead is getting slightly more concerned, and thinking that paedo Grundy bitch was more of a fucking rotten speck of human bacterium than before, but he doesn't bring it up. Doesn't want to break the fragile truce, doesn't know what to say, how to say it. Wants Archie to save him for once. Doesn't want to get caught sleeping at school. Doesn't want Archie to find out, he thinks the worried glances might go both ways, and his chest tightens- whether through happiness or fear he does not know.

One time in Pop's and he gets a real good look at Archie. He's forgotten the gloves, so Jughead doesn't spend his time giving Archie's hand furtive looks. No, he gets his fill pretty fast, the mottled blues and purples and smears of red, even some yellow. Archie's a musician he thinks for a minute, how is this going to affect his future? But he looks, really looks at Archie's face for the first time in a while. He doesn't like what he sees, His face is gaunter, he's got shadows that look more like bruises under his eyes, and his face is looking vaguely miserable. The usual, natural, thoughtless, Archie smile is absent. He tries to think about when he last saw Archie eat, he's not sure. He is sure that there is not eating excess food, and not eating though. He breaks his burger in half, with a slight feeling of longing, and slides one over to Archie.

“Eat it.” He demands, “You just had freaking football practice, you need it, so eat it. Unless of course you don’t want to. In which case Grundy fucked up big time, or maybe that was just how she fucked you. The whole loner-self destructive thing really isn’t you. Fucking up your hands isn’t going to help you or your music. Like you know this is all her right? Separating you from your friends, pushing you down the path of self-destruction as a final parting shot from the craptastic paedo.” How he desperately wants to use a more extreme description here, but he holds himself back, Archie doesn’t need that. “Starving yourself and isolating yourself and screwing yourself over regarding your dreams is not helping anyone.” He pauses very briefly, wondering if he’s gone too far, but it’s all true, and how he feels, and what he thinks maybe Archie needs to hear. “Look, yeah I get she messed you up, but Archie you can’t keep doing this. You need help, ‘cause I don’t think you’re going to be stopping yourself anytime soon- unless you wind up dead.” Jughead pauses for a while here, trying to see how Archie has taken it. He’s worried his last remark was too far, but it’s true. It’s how he really feels, and what he genuinely fears. He watches Archie’s face to see how he’s taking it, he seems to be struggling to take it in, listening in silence, but Jughead decides to continue anyway. This is the bit he really wants to say.

“Archie, we’re going to go back to your house, and we’re going to have an important conversation with your dad. Because you evidently didn’t learn from last time and haven’t told him you’ve got a problem, or you wouldn’t be wear gloves at school. Thing is, I did learn from that last colossal screw up.” -And he has, “I’m not keeping things from your dad for “your own good” anymore. Especially when it’s really not- I’m actually going to help you this time. Let’s go.” He’s firm in his tone, he’s not going to allow Archie to wriggle out of this. He needs help, probably professional, but he really needs his dad to know so that Fred Andrews can support his son. He still feels incredibly guilty about Grundy, but here’s hoping to make amends. He stands up and gestures for Archie to follow him out of Pop’s.

 

Telling Fred Andrews that Archie needs to talk to him is difficult. He doesn't want Fred to feel he is a bad parent when he is far by the best one in this town. He also doesn’t want to make Archie feel trapped, while essentially forcing him to talk to his dad. Also he wonders and feels scared, does Fred know that he knew about Grundy? And didn't tell? Does he hate him now?

He sits in the Andrew's living room awkwardly, wanting to stay somewhere comforting for the night, but feeling like he can't. He's not expecting Fred to come out and give him a hug. Archie to follow with a grateful look in his eye, and invite him to stay.

 

He's really not expecting Fred's honest offer to really talk, man to man, in the morning.

 

He doesn't know what he expects less than to let it all out sobbing in Fred Andrew's arms. All of it, the homelessness, the drinking, his mom and Jellybean moving to Toledo. He really wanted to though, it feels so good. But he still really does not expect it none the less.

 

Perhaps that is why he doesn't, merely says while things are not great they are fine, and leaves with a cheery wave thinking he has fooled the Andrews. A week later Archie finds out he is homeless and living at school. He ends up living at the Andrew's house anyway and he finally feels at home.


End file.
